1. Field
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a field device maintenance apparatus that performs maintenance of a field device by changing parameters of the field device.
2. Related Art
Field devices, such as valves and sensors, are generally disposed in various sections of a plant.
Functions and operations of the field devices can be set via parameters. The field devices are subjected, as necessary, to maintenance in which the currently set parameters are changed or corrected.
In related art, maintenance of a field device is performed by carrying out the following procedure. First, a manager gives work instructions to a worker in charge. The manager issues the work instructions by inputting an instruction to a maintenance tool or handing a work instruction document to the worker in charge.
The worker in charge goes to a work site with the maintenance tool and connects the maintenance tool to the field device to be subjected to maintenance. Then, the parameters of the field device are displayed on the maintenance tool. The worker in charge finds a parameter to be changed in accordance with the work instructions and sets the parameter. This process is performed for all the parameters that are to be changed, and then the maintenance tool is disconnected from the field device.
Subsequently, the worker in charge writes a report regarding the work contents and submits the report to the manager. The manager files the work report or saves it as electronic data.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications Nos. 2006-252145 and 2003-295943 are some examples in the related art field.
When the field device maintenance tool according to the above examples in the related art field is connected to a field device, the maintenance tool displays all the parameters of the field device. Therefore, the worker in charge must refer to the work instructions, determine the parameters to be changed, and find the parameters to be changed from among all the parameters that are displayed. This is not only cumbersome but also requires knowledge of the specification of the field device to prevent parameters, which need not be changed, from being changed by mistake. Recently, with increasing functionality of field devices, the number of parameters of the field devices has been increasing. Accordingly, the above-mentioned problems have become much more significant because they impose a heavy burden on the worker in charge in writing the work report for the manager.